Native’s promo video ready to roll on city’s Web site

Dan McDonald

Tuesday

Jun 12, 2007 at 12:01 AM

GARDNER — Charged with creating a video promoting some of the more renowned aspects of the city, Brian Walsh — a 2007 graduate of the University of Miami’s communications department and a city native — has spent the last few months editing Chair City footage into a concisely packaged video that will soon be featured on the city’s Web site, http:// www.gardner-ma.gov, according to Mayor Gerald St. Hilaire. WGET will also broadcast the video today, said the mayor. As an intern for WGET in summer 2006, Mr. Walsh spent several weeks interviewing various members of the local intelligentsia in an attempt to capture the pulse of the city. The subsequent slicing and dicing of footage from those interviews, along with scenic panoramas and cultural vistas, constituted the larger portion of Mr. Walsh’ workload for the project. Mr. Walsh used both his own personal editing equipment and equipment provided to him through his studies to complete the video. “I had 10 hours of footage that I had to edit down to a seven-minute videotape,” he said. “That was most of the job right there.” From the interviewing processes to the camera work to the cutting room floor, being a “one-man production team” was a fresh and rewarding task for the city resident. “It was definitely a new experience for me,” he said. “At school — for better or worse — we’re always working in groups.” Mayor St. Hilaire, finding Mr. Walsh’s local knowledge and Chair City upbringing particularly appropriate for such a project, approached Mr. Walsh in summer 2006 with the prospects of creating the video for prospective business proprietors and potential residents considering a move to the city. “He came to see me and he had a number of videos that he had produced as part of his program; I was so impressed I said to him, ‘Would you consider doing a promo for the city?’” said the mayor. “You can hire all sorts of groups to do it, but I thought it’d be a kick to have a Gardner High alumnus (create the video) so I asked him if it would be something he’d be interested in.” The video features city luminaries praising various city institutions, including Dunn Park, the municipal golf course, Mount Wachusett Community College and Heywood Hospital. During the video, the mayor opines on the city’s transformation from a blue-collar town to “residential community with lots of amenities,” while School District Superintendent Carol Daring heaps praise on local residents’ “willingness to work” and applauds a prevailing “now we can roll up our sleeves”-type attitude that exists in the city. Mr. Walsh, who said he plans to move to New York City at the end of the summer to pursue options in the field of film post-production, said he plans to include the video in his portfolio as he explores various job opportunities. “Absolutely it’s one of the things I’m most proud of; I think it turned out very well,” said Mr. Walsh, who is the son of City Solicitor James Walsh. After attending college in southern Florida, creating the video sparked a renewed appreciation for his hometown, said Mr. Walsh. “I saw Gardner in a whole different way,” said Mr. Walsh, who majored in both communications for motion pictures and philosophy while at the University of Miami. dmcdonald@thegardnernews.

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